Fighting Destiny
by Shortie630
Summary: The enemy attacked where they least suspected it. Why was she so blind? She couldn’t help them. She couldn’t help him. Now everything’s destroyed. Will the scouts be able to annihilate this enemy, which has taken everything away from them?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is applied to all future chapters. I do not own Sailor Moon.**

**Author's note:** Hey, this is my first fic ever. So try to be nice. I know that I'm not as great as some of the author's on this site. I just thought that this would be fun. If you like it, please leave a review when you're done!

_**.:Chapter One:.

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Serena woke up as soon as the light coming from the window had touched her eyelids. She looked around at her surroundings. Her room had consisted of a small bed in the corner that she had been laying in. On the opposite wall from the bed had been a chair and a small desk with several papers scattered on it. To the right of that had been a dresser. On the other wall had been a small door.

Everything was still the same from the night before. She was wishing that it had all been a strange long dream. That none of this had been real. But nothing ever goes the way that she wants it to. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, so she tiredly got up and answered it.

"How much longer were you going to sleep in?" asked her blonde friend as she walked into the room as if it was her own.

Mina Aino has been one of her closest friends. She stood at the same height as herself. Mina had long blonde hair just like her own, but was about a shade or two lighter. Her eyes were crystal clear blue and she always had a certain cheerfulness emanating from her.

"Sorry, I guess I overslept a little," Serena replied with a small yawn.

"Well, now that your awake, hurry up and get ready, because the rest of the girls are already waiting for you by the south end of the city."

"Oops, I completely forgot that I was suppose to meet you guys there earlier. Just give me five minutes, alright?" Serena exclaimed as she rushed to her dresser to find a change of clothes.

"Okay, I'll be waiting outside for you," Mina said as she turned and left the room.

Serena quickly changed and walked out of the building to see Mina patiently waiting for her. Mina had heard footsteps and looked up and saw Serena walking towards her. The two of them then started walking towards the south end of the city.

It didn't take long for them to meet up with the rest of the girls. Serena greeted them all with a smile. In return, she was yelled at by none other than Rei.

"I knew that you wouldn't be here on time. It was your idea to come over here early too!" a furious raven-haired woman yelled at her.

Rei Hino was like a ticking bomb waiting to explode at a moments notice. She was the most short-tempered woman Serena had ever met. Her and Rei argued constantly about everything. Even though they fought a lot, Serena still would do anything for her and Rei would do the same for Serena. Rei had gorgeous long raven hair and she had the most exquisite violet eyes. She's the only person that Serena knew who could see premonitions of the future. Sometimes her visions aren't always quite clear, half of the time she doesn't even understand what they mean.

"It's too early in the morning to be yelling so loud Rei," stated a tall brunette as she rubbed her temple with her fingertips.

Lita Kino was the tallest out of all of them. Her chestnut brown hair was up in a hair tie as usual. She had lovely emerald green eyes. She happened to be the best at martial arts out of all of them. But she was also a great cook too! She had tried to give Serena cooking lessons before, but she had failed miserably. Everything that Serena tried to cook ended up turning into burnt charcoal.

"Lita's right. We have more important issues to discuss than to argue about Serena being late," replied a young woman.

Ami Mizuno was so proper and etiquette. She had short blue hair that just framed her face perfectly. Her eyes were a simple blue and showed so much knowledge and wisdom in them. She, of course, looked at everything in a logical manner. She was the kind of person that would always think before they act. Ami was the brain of their little group. Without her, they'd be like lost puppies with no idea where to go.

"Sorry that I'm late guys," Serena apologized.

"That's alright, but try to be more on time, okay?" answered Ami.

"Ok."

"Now on to more serious business," prompted Ami, " my scanners show that the enemy is getting ready for another attack."

"Do you think that our barrier will be able to withstand it?" questioned Mina.

"It should, unless the enemy has found a way to shatter the barrier," replied Ami.

The barrier was the only thing that was protecting this small city. All of the girls, including Serena, were each born with special powers as a sailor scout. Each of the scouts supplied some of their energy and placed them at five different points around the city. When all five points were in place, they formed a dome covering the entire city, creating a barrier.

About a year ago, an enemy showed up and demanded that the girls give them their silver crystal. They refused to give it up. So the enemy devised a plan to take the crystal by force. The girls were so caught up in their own lives that they didn't see that the enemy was right in front of them. When they realized what was going on, it was already too late. The enemy had destroyed almost every city and killed most of the Earth's population. Their city was one of the few that were still intact. The people that fled here took refuge away from the enemy. The girls would do anything to try and keep all these people alive.

Serena was the leader of their little group known as Sailor Moon, so it was her responsibility to protect the silver crystal. That small crystal wields such great power that if it was in the wrong hands, it could destroy all that was left of mankind. The rest of the scouts were to protect the crystal and herself from all enemies.

Mina was known as Sailor Venus, she was the leader among the scouts when Serena was not present. Her power was made up from pure energy. She was able manipulate this energy to form a chain or as a beam to destroy her enemy. She was the only scout besides Serena who could wield the silver crystal sword.

Rei was known as Sailor Mars. She was able to generate fire as her power.

Lita was known as Sailor Jupiter. She could create thunder and lightening as her power. She could also cause horrible storms when she's in a bad mood.

Ami was known as Sailor Mercury. She wields the power of ice. She is able to turn you into an ice sculpture within a split second. She could also create a thick fog to shield herself from enemies.

"Do you know what part of the city that they're planning to attack?" asked Rei.

"No, but I know that they're being lead by _them_."

They all stood stiff for a brief moment before Lita decided to break the silence.

"Do you expect them to attack anytime soon?"

"They'll attack us as soon as they get their minions organized, but I do not know when that will be," answered Ami.

"Then we better keep an eye out for them," Serena started, "everyone go to their post and if you see anything suspicious, report it immediately."

Everyone nodded in agreement and departed. Serena stood there for few more seconds enveloped in her own thoughts. The enemy was going to attack again. Sure, they had been attacked before and destroyed the enemy, but it was rare when the attack was lead by them. They must have devised, yet another plan to get the crystal from the girls. They'd be ready for them though. They needed to win this war against the enemy; because she didn't know how much longer their city would be able to hold out. Their supplies were running low and everyone was starting to lose hope.

Serena started to think about how everything use to be when they were still here with them. The girls had been so happy, even Rei. Now, they all held a deep sorrow within them and she felt that she was to blame for that. Why was she so blind? She couldn't help them. She couldn't help him.

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Author's Note: Okay, so I hope that whoever read this enjoyed it. I would very much appreciate it if you left some sort of review and tell me what you thought of this!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes:** Okay, we're going to go about 8 months back in time so we can see what and how everything happened. Then we'll go back to the 'present time'.

_**.:Chapter Two:.**_

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**8 months earlier**

'Damn it, I'm so late! Rei is going to bite my head off when I get there. I still don't see why she just couldn't pick me up and give me a ride. It would have made my day a little easier._' _Serena thought to herself as she was running down the street trying to get to the café to meet up with the girls.

She turned a corner and she was abruptly stopped when she realized that she had bumped into something hard. She stumbled back a few steps until she regained her balance. She looked up quickly and started to spit out an apology.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking…" she was at a loss of words when she looked up into his eyes. His eyes were a dark cobalt color. She could have gazed at those eyes all day long. Fortunately, she tore herself away from his eyes and noticed his jet-black hair that hung perfectly over his face, his strong jaw line, his broad shoulders and the rest of his body… his body looked like that of a Greek god. She had realized that she was staring when he was trying to get her attention. Serena's face blushed about ten different colors of red.

"Miss? Are you alright?" he asked, while waving his hand in front of her face.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Sorry about that."

"It's ok, just try to watch where you're going next time. Not many people are as nice as me," he smirked.

"Thanks."

"I'm Darien Shields and your name is…" he let his sentence hang waiting for her to fill it in.

"I'm Serena Tsukino. It's nice to meet you Darien," she replied.

"Likewise."

She looked at her watch and realized that she was even more late than she was before.

"Sorry, but I'm really late for something and I have to get going. Maybe I'll see you around sometime," she quickly said.

"Sure."

"Bye," and before he could say anything else she started her sprint towards the café again.

About half a block later, Serena got to the café, she stopped and started gasping for air. She slowly started walking towards the booth where the girls were sitting at.

"You're an hour late!" Rei yelled at her. Lita had to hold Rei back from strangling her.

" It wouldn't have happened if you had given me ride," Serena said as she took an empty see next to Mina.

"Don't feel sorry for yourself, I had to walk here too! My car's in the shop," explained an annoyed Rei.

" If it helps at all, I'm sorry that I got sidetracked, but then on the way here, I ran into this guy an-"

"A guy? Was he cute?" Mina interrupted, her eyes full with curiosity.

"He was gorgeous to tell you the truth," Serena responded.

"Who cares about a stupid guy, the point is that she was late, AGAIN!" shouted Rei.

"Well, what about that stupid guy I saw you staring at just a few moments ago before Serena came in here?" Lita enquired.

" I was not staring at anybody!" insisted Rei.

"Don't deny it Rei. Besides, I saw all three of you staring at those guys across the room," commented Ami as she finally decided to join in on their conversation.

"Well, then you must been staring too, right Ami?" questioned Mina as she gave Ami a sly look.

"Ami, you're blushing!" Serena said.

"Hey, at least I'm not denying it. I just couldn't help but notice how attractive the guy with the long blonde hair is," Ami responded nonchalantly.

"I wasn't staring at anybody, I was looking at the painting that's right next to their booth!" Rei persisted.

"Sure you were," Serena commented.

"Shut up Serena!" snapped Rei as she leaned back in her seat while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't look now, but those guys are staring at us. I guess we were talking a little too loud, right Rei?" Lita said.

They all looked over across the room to see four guys staring at them. When the guys all noticed that the girls were staring back at them, they all smiled and waved. Serena just watched as all of her friends blushed. She thought that they all looked like red tomatoes.

At that moment a guy with black hair had walked up to the guys' booth. He looked towards the girls to see what his friends were staring at. When Serena made eye contact with him, she realized that it was the same guy that she had met earlier.

What happened next, Serena was not quite sure of, but all she knew was that the guys all started walking towards them. The girls got a little nervous, but tried not to show it. They all tried to stay calm, but that was impossible when five hot guys were walking towards them.

"I didn't think that I would be seeing you so soon, Serena," Darien said.

"Small world, isn't it?"

"This is the cute guy that ran into earlier?" questioned Mina. Darien chuckled.

"Why don't you keep your big mouth shut Mina!" Serena said while she tried to cover her red face with her hand.

"Do you girls mind if we joined you?" Darien asked.

Before any of them, were able to say something, Mina decided to answer for all of them, "We don't mind at all."

They all grabbed a nearby chair and sat around their booth. Darien started to introduce his friends one by one.

"This is Jedite," he pointed to a man with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. "Hello ladies," Jedite responded while looking directly at Rei. Rei being the stubborn person she is quickly turned her face away from Jedite's intense stare.

"This is Kunzite," he gestured towards a man with shoulder length silver hair and blue eyes and just gave us a quick nod and a glance towards Mina.

"This is Nephrite," he motioned to a man with long wavy brown hair and blue eyes. "Hey there!" He said as he locked eyes with Lita.

Darien pointed towards a man with long wavy blonde and green eyes and introduced him, "That's Zoicite."

"I'm pleased to meet all of you," Zoicite responded and gave a small smile towards  
Ami.

"And last, but not least, I was referred to as the cute guy that was run down by Serena earlier. I prefer to be called Darien though," he said while showing his best smile.

The girls then introduced themselves to the guys. All of them instantly clicked with each other. They were talking for about an hour when Serena's watch started beeping. All the guys were staring at her with a confused look on their face.

"It's an alarm for my watch," she said nervously while quickly excusing herself from the table.

Serena walked into the women's restroom and made sure no one else was in there. She clicked a button on her watch and said, "What's wrong Luna?"

"We need the scouts over in Cherry Park. The enemy is attacking again."

"All right, we'll be there as soon as we can."

"Hurry!"

Serena turned off her communicator and quickly walked back to the table where everyone was at and said, "Hey, sorry I took so long, but the girls and I really need to get going. I hope that you guys don't mind that we take off?"

"No problem, as long as we can meet up some other time?" asked Jedite.

"Don't count on it," mumbled Rei.

"What was that you said Rei? You can't wait until our next meeting? I'm flattered," he said while playful putting his arm around Rei's shoulders. Rei quickly shoved his arm off of her shoulders as if it was a reflex.

"Are you guys free next Saturday?" Lita asked eagerly as her eyes lit up with hope.

"Yeah, cause if so, we could all meet up at the Crown Arcade," Mina suggested.

"You just want to go there because Andrew said he'll give you a discount on the games," Rei said bluntly.

Mina retaliated by saying, "That's not the only reason why. Sure, I want to play a few games while we're there, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to hang out with you guys too!"

Ami cut short their conversation, "You guys, I really think that we should get going."

"So we'll meet you girls at the arcade next Saturday around noon?" asked Kunzite.

The girls nodded then started taking out their money to pay for their bill when Nephrite stopped them with the wave of his hand, "Don't worry, it's on us."

"Thanks," they all said unison.

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It was already pass sunset as all five girls were quickly walking out of the café, he only had his attention directed towards Serena. She was a petite with long golden-blonde hair and the most enchanting cerulean blue eyes that just captivated him. She had the most delightful laugh that had just put a smile on his face. Her body was just perfect in his eyes. All the right curves in all the right places. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't attracted to her.

"Earth to Darien. Do you think that you could stop staring, because you're starting to drool," commented Jedite.

"I just couldn't help but stare, I mean look at her. She's gorgeous"

"Yup, I know how you feel man, but I got my sights set on that little spitfire called Rei," Jedite responded.

"I don't think that you'll be able to handle her. She was giving you some pretty mean looks and if looks could kill, you would have been dead by now," Kunzite pointed out.

Jedite leaned back against his chair while folding his hands behind his head, "Yeah, but once I break through her shield of stubbornness then that's when the easy part comes."

"So you're saying that it's just a matter of time before she will be all over you?" questioned Zoicite.

"Yup," smirked Jedite.

"Yeah right, I think that you will be the one who will be all over her in the end," stated Nephrite.

"I assure you that I will not end up being one of those pussy-whipped guys who listens to everything his girlfriend tells him to do," Jedite insisted.

"Ok, now shut up Jedite. I want to know what Kunzite thought of Mina," Zoicite said while taking a sip of his drink, "I saw him sneaking several glances at her when he thought no one was looking."

Zoicite finally realized after about a minute of Kunzite glaring at him that he wasn't going to give him an answer. Darien decided at that moment that he should leave before something happened. He took his wallet out of his back pocket and threw a twenty dollar bill on the table, "I'm gonna get going guys, I got to go run some errands. So, I guess that I'll see you all next Saturday?" Darien asked while they all nodded in reply. Darien walked out of the café to where he last parked his car, got in and started to drive to his next destination.

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**Author's notes:** So what did you think? Was it good or bad? Please, leave a review and tell me! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me! 


	3. Chapter 3

_**.:Chapter Three:.**_

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As soon as the girls were out of site from the café they all started running towards Cherry Park. Serena just so happened to be in the front leading everyone. Rei had abruptly stopped in her tracks. Serena had also stopped and turned around to face her, "Come on Rei, why'd you stop?"

"Did you say Cherry Park?" she replied in a monotone voice. Serena nodded in a 'yes' response.

"It's nice to know that our leader has a brain," she sighed exasperatedly. "Cherry Park is that way," she said while pointing in the opposite direction in which Serena had been going.

Serena thought for a moment and tried to remember which way Cherry Park was. She realized which way she had been going and tried to play it off like a fool. "I knew which way the park was, I was just taking the long way around." Ami just shook her head in at her friend's foolishness.

Lita who was now well passed being annoyed said, "Well, now that we all know which way the park is, let's get going. Remember that there is a monster running about." Lita then took charge and started leading the way towards Cherry Park.

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Serena started panting and gasping for air, while trying to keep up with the girls. She was use to running a lot, because she was always late, but her friends sure do have a lot more stamina than her.

She started to wonder how much farther they would have to run, because she was starting to feel exhausted. Serena then glanced up to notice that Lita and the girls were starting to slow down.

Lita completely stopped and turned around to face the girls, "Everyone ready to transform?" Everyone nodded their head in agreement.

As bright lights enveloped the girls, out of site and in the shadows loomed a dark figure observing their every move. Silently watching and soaking in all this new found information. The shadowy figure smirked and then stepped back only to disappear into the darkness.

The scouts cautiously walked into the park. They were well on their guard, as it was dark and their enemy could pop out of anywhere. Silence loomed over them as they proceeded farther into the park. They all shuddered when a high-pitched shriek had pierced their ears. "Quick, it came from that direction," Venus said as she quickly ran towards to where she heard the sound. The scouts followed her in pursuit.

Suddenly, Sailor Venus had stopped. Her breath getting caught in her throat, as her pupils dilated. Sailor Moon had caught up to her and stood frozen at the site that she saw before her. Never before had she seen so many lifeless bodies.

All of the bodies looked as if they had been mutilated. Blood was spilled all over the ground covering all of the bodies. Some of the bodies weren't even intact. Any senseless person could tell that whatever monster did this enjoyed ripping people's limbs apart.

Sailor Moon could feel as the vomit had tried to push its way up her throat, but she held it back with much effort. She had never seen anything so repulsive. There was more blood than she could imagine. Blood was sprayed out all over staining the grass a deep crimson color. What could be made out as body parts and internal organs were scattered everywhere. It made her sick to her stomach to think that such a horrible creature could be so ruthless to do this.

The deafening silence was broken by a rasp voice that was just dripping with venom. "Is there something interesting that you're looking at?"

Sailor Moon turned towards the voice. She narrowed her eyes as she watched the blurred silhouette walk out from the shadows. She gasped at the hideous creature before her.

The creature stood tall with clothes that appeared to be tattered and faded. Its complexion consisted of a pale gray color with blood-red splotches scattered everywhere. The condition of the skin appeared to be dried up and withered. The creature had what looked to be huge, sharp, claw-like hands that seemed to be able to break a human bone with the flick of its wrist. The expression upon its face could be described as nothing but pure hatred.

Sailor Moon watched as the creature stretched out its arm and placed a firm grip around the neck of an unconscious woman. The woman slightly groaned in pain as she was lifted from the puddle of blood in which her body had been laying in.

"You're a fucking bastard, you know that! How could you slaughter all these people and not feel guilt upon your own soul for taking their lives!" shouted an angry Sailor Mars as she clenched her fist tightly.

"Soul?" the creature sneered, "I have no soul. There is no need for one," the creature spat in disgust.

Sailor Venus stepped up and planted her feet firmly upon the ground ready to blast an attack towards the enemy. "Drop the girl, your quarrel is with us!"

The creature just stared defiantly towards the scouts while letting out a slight chuckle, "And what makes you think I'll be taking orders from you so easily?" The creature immediately placed both hands upon the victim's head and snapped her neck with an audible crack.

Sailor Moon watched as the lifeless body fell to the ground with a loud thud. She looked towards the creature with a determined look. She would avenge these people's death if it cost her, her life.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sailor Jupiter gather a circular form of electricity within her hand. As Jupiter lunged forward to make the first attack, Sailor Moon quickly concentrated her power to summon forth her weapon. She then extended her hand and grasped what seemed to be thin air. Within half a second, the Silver Imperium sword appeared in her hands. She then ran forward to join her fellow comrades.

Sailor Moon watched as the creature quickly side-stepped Jupiter's attack. It then decided to make a counter-attack as it leaped into the air and pummeled into Jupiter as it used its claw-like hands to make a slash across her back. Jupiter screamed out in anguish as the pain shot throughout her body. As her uniform was torn, she felt the warm liquid of her own blood drip down her back, as she fell to her knees in a weakened state. Sailor Mercury quickly rushed to her side to protect her.

As the creature retreated from it's previous attack, Venus took that opportunity and formed her power into a chain to securely hold the enemy in place as Mars, already in a prepared stance, launched a flaming red arrow towards it. The monster had no time to react as it shrieked in agony, as its body was set ablaze.

Sailor Moon then charged towards the enemy to strike the final blow. She enjoyed the rush of adrenaline pouring throughout her body. She could feel her power building up, waiting to be released on her command. Suddenly, she paused in mid-step and gracefully jumped over the creature while using the strength of her sword to cleanly cut off its head. As she landed on her feet, she watched with unsympathetic eyes, the now decapitated head roll towards her feet. Within seconds, the burning body had quickly turned into ashes and molded into the soil of the earth.

As the silver sword disappeared from her hands, they all de-transformed and rushed towards Lita to address her wounds. Ami was already carefully examining her. "The gash on her back isn't too deep. It just needs to be properly cleaned and bandaged to heal quickly. I'll be able to do that once we get her to my house."

"So it's nothing serious?" Mina asked. Worry obviously displayed in her facial features.

"No, there's nothing to worry about. She'll be perfectly fine," responded Ami with a small smile.

Serena placed her hand upon Mina's shoulder to reassure her of Lita's health, while also offering her a slight smile.

Rei helped Lita to her feet and offered Lita her jacket to cover her wound from the public's eye. Lita hesitantly managed to get up, only to wince in slight pain. Ami had managed to make an anonymous phone call to the police addressing them about the massacre at the park. Then they all decided to quickly leave the scene of the crime and make their way towards Ami's house to take care of Lita.

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As the girls had fought the enemy, a pair of cold blue eyes examined the display before him. He watched as one known as Jupiter was hit and the agility of the one that possessed the sword, the Silver Imperium sword. Not many could move with such grace that she did, while possessing that sword. No mere human could hold it, for its weight was beyond comparison. He would admit that they had skill, but not enough for what lied ahead of them. He then took a step back only to be consumed by the darkness of the shadows once again.

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All he could hear were the sounds of his heels hitting against the black marble floor as he quickly walked down the long hallway. The hallway was quiet and seemed ominous looking as if it was able to cast death upon whoever stepped foot in it. There were no windows for the light to shine through, just black marble walls that lead up to a tall ceiling where burning candles hung to cast an eerie light.

He soon came upon two large black doors that seemed to look down upon him. He hesitantly knocked and waited for a reply. He heard a slight mumble of approval as he reached out to push the doors open with a seemingly loud creak. He hurriedly stepped inside the dark room and shut the doors swiftly behind him.

There were no candles lit in this room, but there were two large windows that flooded the room with the ethereal glow from the moon. He took several steps into the room, but stopped when he noticed the cloaked figure that stood facing the window away from his view, but he could see the short silver strands of hair that were reflected off of the glass from the window.

He dared not to speak, as he was too afraid that he would say something wrong and the consequence would be his life. He grew more nervous as the silence lingered on and all he could hear was the loud pounding of his own heart, which only seemed to be getting louder as each second passed by. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to endure such silence when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"How did it go?" came a commanding voice.

Without hesitating he looked up towards the figure, "The monster was terminated once again."

He watched as the figure visibly sighed deeply while saying in a powerful voice, "How many more of my loyal servants are you willing to waste in order for you to do your job?"

Seeing as he now had upset his boss, he tried to explain his next plan, "My liege, please, I have formulated a new plan, one that will work. You see, I have create-"

"Enough, spare me your boring details," the figure then slowly walked away from the window to sit in a black velvet chair that seemed only fit for royalty. The shadows crossed over their features blocking the faithful servant from seeing anything other than the white cloak, which embedded their entire body.

"I will give you everything you need for this new mission, but if you are to disappoint me again, you will suffer the consequences!"

"Yes, of course," the young man bowed down to show his respect before he left the room without another word.

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**Author's notes:** So what do you think? I'm not all that great at writing battle scenes, so sorry about that. Anyways, I've noticed that I've only gotten a couple of reviews. Does my story not interest anyone? I'm getting a little discouraged here, so would you be so kind enough as to leave a little review for a helpless writer? It would help me a great deal! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me!


	4. Chapter 4

_**.:Chapter Four:.**_

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_It was a dark and desolate place. She could hear the echoes of her heels with every cautious step she took. The darkness blinded her capability to see anything. She gagged as she inhaled a deep breath. There was a foul stench in the air, but she could not pin point as to what was causing this horrid smell. The putrid smell was overwhelming her respiratory system as her breathing soon became labored and strenuous to get what little pure air there was._

_She heard a cry of pain come from the distance. She had no idea what could be up ahead; she could be falling into a trap for all she knew. She dared to take a hesitant step forward into the unknown. Shivers ran up her spine with every step she took and her mind was screaming to get as far away from the scream as possible. However, her curiosity seemed to overpower her logic and kept on in search of the person who screamed. _

_She still could not see anything, but she was able to hear every sound that was made, especially the groans of undeniable pain. She slightly quickened her pace; her heart beat rapidly increasing as every second passed by. _

_The air became thicker as the vile smell became stronger. She slowed down her pace once she felt a splash of liquid upon her ankle as her foot hit the ground. She slowly kneeled down as her index finger came in contact with the slightly warm liquid. She raised her finger towards her nose to smell the unknown substance. She inhaled the scent and gasped as her eyes widened when she realized what it was… blood._

_The wails of agony had stopped and a deafening silence consumed everything. She quickly stood up when she felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. She squinted her eyes, struggling to try and see anything through the darkness. Something was near; she could sense it._

_She let out a gasp, but before she could react any further, someone had a firm hold around her neck…_

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The silence of the night was broken when the silhouette of a young woman abruptly sat up in bed while tugging the sheets closer to her chest. Her long hair draped down her back as tiny droplets of sweat occupied her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was rapid. She lifted her palm towards her neck to try and reassure herself that she was all right. That it all was just a dream.

She slowed down her breathing and calmed herself down to a normal state. Her mind then focused on her dream. It had all seem so real to her. She rested her head in the palm of her hands and tried to think of what her dream might mean. Her instincts were telling her that her dream was more important than it seemed to be, but what could it be?

She thought that maybe she should share her newfound dream with the rest of the girls and see what they thought of the subject. She reconsidered her idea when she thought that there was no need to interfere her friend's lives with her dream, that is, until she thought it was absolutely necessary to do so.

Her drowsiness soon became evident to her as she let out a slow yawn. She glanced towards the side of her bed to look at her clock. She laid back down in her bed trying to get into a comfortable position as she still had several hours to sleep before her day actually began. Her heavy eyelids quickly closed as slumber once again consumed her.

* * *

The raven-haired priestess had started her morning chores before her grandpa had time to nag her about it.The little old man would always be swooning over the latest female that walked anywhere near the temple premises. Even though he was no where near half their height, he would always find a way to attract their attention.

Rei hastily swept the rest of the floor. She had awakened last night with a startle and had felt uneasy all morning. Her intuition was telling her that something wasn't right.

Rei entered the temple to meditate and see if she can sense anything absurd from the sacred fire reading. She removed her shoes and sat on her feet, while getting in a comfortable position.

Rei took a deep breath to relax her tense body and looked deeply into the fire and concentrated on her inner thoughts. Her body had become perfectly still even though her thoughts were rapidly going through her brain as she tried to detect her uneasiness.

The fire had not produced any images to her, nor any visions or glimpses of what could be causing her this distressing feeling. She started to get frustrated, but she needed to keep her mind clear. Then she saw a dark color flicker among the intense flames. Two dark figures took shape in the midst of the flames. One was slightly taller than the other. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to stay focused. She couldn't see any physical features in which she would be able to recognize.

Although she could not distinguish their looks, she was able to hear the slightest sound of a woman's voice. Rei leaned forward in hopes of detecting the quiet whispers that she heard. The voice sounded like a frantic plea, as if uttering those words would provide her the knowledge that she desperately wanted, "_Don't go! Please… you must tell me. This situation is more serious than you let on!"_

Before Rei could listen more intently, her line of thought was disturbed. The images started to drift form her as the flames consumed them. She sighed as she leaned forward on her two palms.

Rei cocked her head to the side as loud giggles could be heard from outside the temple. She groaned as she lifted herself up and headed outside to see the latest girls that her grandpa was currently entertaining. Her curiosity about her newfound vision would have to wait until later on where she would be able to concentrate more.

* * *

The smell of bacon and eggs wafted towards her as she made her way downstairs. Serena let a small smile spread across her face knowing that her mother had already gotten up early as usual, to prepare breakfast for the family.

Sometimes she took for granted everything that her mother did for her. Her mother did so much, pouring her heart into everything she did without expecting anything in return, except for a little kindness to be shown. Even though Serena was able to do everything on her own, her mom still made sure that her little princess had everything that she needed.

"Would you mind hurrying it up a little? I would like to eat within the next hour," came an annoying voice that could only belong to her younger brother, Sammy.

She deliberately stopped in front of the doorway to the kitchen in spite of him, while turning around to face him. She stared into his hazel colored eyes defiantly as they held an unspoken staring contest.

Sammy shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he tried to hold his gaze, but failed, as he was the first to blink. Serena let a smug smirk grace her features knowing that her brother had loss.

Sammy rolled his eyes at his sister's smirk and pushed Serena to the side to get through to the kitchen. Before he had a chance to take two steps, Serena had retaliated to even out the score.

"You little punk," she said while grabbing onto his shirt by the collar.

Sammy tried to struggle free from her, but was unsuccessful. So he did the one thing that would without doubt grant him freedom from his sister's grasp.

"Mom!" Sammy called out with the most distressing tone he could muster up.

From the corner of her eye, Serena could see her mother standing over the hot stove while calling out in a sweet and calm voice, "Serena, what did I tell you about your brother?"

Serena let out a sigh as she released her brother and stared at his back as he walked away, "That I am to take a deep breath and restrain myself from strangling him."

"That's right dear," She heard her mother reply as Serena took a seat across the table from her brother who was now stuffing his face with food. She looked away in disgust and turned her attention to her own food as her mother set her plate before her.

Kenji had been reading the newspaper, but abruptly folded it up and set it aside as he looked towards his wife, "Ikuko, do you remember that massacre I was telling you about last week?" He waited as his wife gave him a nod before he continued on, "Well, it seems that the investigators still don't know how it happened and don't have any witnesses. Can you believe it? All of those people are dead and we have a serial killer on the lose in which we have no clue on capturing."

Ikuko took her seat at the table while considering the information that her husband told her, "Well, the world has become quite a dangerous place nowadays and you just have to be cautious with everything you do."

Serena listened as her parents made out polite conversation while she finished her breakfast. She got up from her seat and took her empty plate to the sink. "Did you hear what your mother said Serena? You have to be careful wherever you go now."

Serena dramatically rolled her eyes at her father's attempt at warning her of the dangers of the world. If only he knew of the dangers that she faced every single day. He would probably go into a crazy rampage if he ever found out that someone was trying to hurt his baby girl!

"Serena, are you even listening to me?" Serena turned towards her father and made sure to look him in the eye while giving him her full attention, "I want you to start calling home if you're going to stay out late and to never be alone, always travel in pairs. Remember the buddy system that you used in first grade, well, now's the time to make that an every day routine!" Even though her dad had used a firm tone in telling her what to do, she could still hear the underlining concern that was hidden in his voice.

Serena sighed as she walked over to her dad and gave him a light kiss on the cheek, "Okay dad." She walked over to Sammy and ruffled his hair a bit before she said her goodbyes and made her exit.

* * *

The sound of the electronic doors were heard as they opened. Lita walked through the doors and entered the arcade. The wounds on her back were healing quite nicely. Soon those horrendous cuts would be nothing more than a hidden scar with the help from Ami and her wonderful knowledge of medicine.

Lita walked towards the counter to go and greet Andrew. He notices her as he waves to her while she sat on one of the open stools. "Hey Andrew! How's work been?"

Andrew sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "You know, the same old stuff that I do everyday of the week." Lita slightly chuckled at his comment.

Lita glanced over her shoulder as she heard the bell from the door jingle. To her disappointment it was only some random guy and not her friends. She watched as the man came and sat at the counter as well, while buying a strawberry shake.

Lita sat and waited for the girls as Andrew continued to serve incoming customers. Once Andrew was finished, he stood in front of Lita while wiping the counter with a damp cloth. "So, do you know a specific time in which the girls are supposed to meet you here?"

Lita looked at her watch and sighed, "Sometime around noon." Andrew looked at her while raising one of his eyebrows, "Then you do know that Serena won't be here until an hour after that, " he replied dryly.

Lita let a smirk come across her face, "Nope, not this time," she said while leaning her arms on the counter, "They're all supposed to meet up and Rei's place so she can drive them here!"

Andrew laughed at her statement, "Well, how are you to know that she won't be late to Rei's place?"

"Shit, I guess that I didn't think that far ahead!" Lita hung her head down in defeat. Andrew gave her a slight pat on the shoulder before excusing himself to go and get something from the back room. The man who had been sitting near her finished his shake and abruptly got up and left the building.

Lita patiently waited for Andrew to return. Several minutes passed and still he had not come back. It wasn't always good to leave the register for long periods of time and she didn't want Andrew to get into any kind of trouble.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging noise coming from the back room. Her gaze focused on the door to the back room with concern, "Hey Andrew, are you all right back there?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Gosh, I always have trouble uploading these chapters! It frustrates me so much! Okay... I know it's been a long time since I last updated, but what can I say, I'm a MAJOR procrastinator and to top it off, I was in a major state of writer's block as well! Anyways, I hoped that you liked the chapter, so don't forget to review and tell me what you think! 


	5. Chapter 5

**.:Chapter Five:.**

Lita heard no response and was about to go back there and see if he was all right, but before she was about to make her move, Andrew had emerged from the back room looking a little dazed.

She was a little worried about his present appearance, "Are you all right? I heard a loud noise back there." She looked at Andrew and he was continuously blinking his eyes as if trying to adjust to the light, "Yeah… I'm fine. I had hit my head on a shelf and I knocked some stuff down," he said as he brought his hand to his head to emphasize what he said.

Lita analyzed him as she watched him gaze around the arcade with a blank expression upon his face. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that his hand was slightly shaking. She reached out and placed her slender palm over his hand in concern, "Andrew?"

Lita waited as Andrew turned his attention towards her. She looked into his eyes and could see… fear.

"Lita… listen, he…" his voice had become hoarse and hesitant. As if he was trying to fight back the words that he wanted to say. He was now desperately grabbing her hand. Lita looked at him confused. She was starting to become worried.

As quickly as it came, it was gone. She felt the pressure from his hand release her own hand. Andrew shook his head, to shake away the thoughts that had previously occupied his mind. He straightened his back and regained his composure.

Lita watched with confused eyes as he changed from being a person who looked terrified for his own life to someone who liked that they didn't have a worry in the world.

"Um, sorry Lita. You'll have to excuse my odd behavior, I think that I hit my head a little harder than I thought," he said with a cool expression.

Lita opened her mouth to respond but was cut short when she heard her name being called out to her. She looked over her shoulder to see Nephrite wave towards her as the rest of the guys went to go find a booth to sit at. She fully turned herself around while offering Nephrite a broad smile.

She told Andrew that she would talk to him later while she leapt off of the stool she had been sitting at and made her way towards Nephrite.

As she walked towards Nephrite he gave her a warm smile that made her stomach do a somersault. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, adorning her facial features with an irresistible blush that would have made any man fall to his knees for her.

His luscious lips caught her attention and were tempting her to just pull him aside and crush her lips against his to satisfy the passion that was starting to well up inside of her. She reluctantly pulled her gaze away from his lips and rested her eyes upon his dark, sensuous blue orbs that seemed to hold her in a trance. She broke out of her reverie as she heard him softly chuckle above her.

He tenderly placed his palm on the small of her back while motioning with his free hand the direction towards their table. All of this seemed to happen in slow motion for her. The way his hand gingerly touched her and sent little shivers of electricity run down her spine. The way he had made her heart beat faster with such a simple smile.

She wasn't sure how she had such intense feelings for him when she had barely met him only a week ago. She figured that it was just an infatuation and nothing more. She let a quiet sigh escape her lips as she let Nephrite lead her away.

* * *

The sun shone brightly and the sky was as clear as ever. She loved how the sunbeams felt again her skin and how she felt the shiver from the warm breeze run down her spine. It made her skin tingle from her head down to her toes.

She was on her way to Rei's house. Rei insisted that she would drive Serena to the arcade so that _all _of them would be on time. Rei was the only one who actually had a car. Her grandpa - who had been secretly keeping a nice amount of money in a safe place – had decided to buy Rei a decent car for all of her hard work that she put into preserving the temple.

Unfortunately, Serena's parents thought that it was not necessary for an eighteen year old to be driving a car that she had made no payment for. Her mother said that if she wanted to have a car, she would have to get a job and save a little bit of money, before her parents decided to help her out. Serena had dropped the idea of getting a car, as she was not intending to get a job any time soon. She wanted to enjoy the rest of her senior year to the fullest and not to be worrying about work.

Serena had soon reached her destination when she saw three of her friends standing besides Rei's car. She waved as she approached them, but held a look of confusion upon her face.

"Hey Serena! Glad to see that you're here on time," greeted Mina, but she paused when she noticed Serena's expression, "What's with the confused look?"

"Where's Lita?" as Serena looked around to make certain that Lita was no where in site, "I thought that we were all supposed to meet here."

"Oh, Lita called me this morning and said that she decided to walk there since she lives so close to it," Rei stated while searching for her keys that were buried inside her purse.

"Alright girls, let's get in the car and get going. I've been waiting all week long for today," exclaimed Mina as she was the first to get into the front seat.

"Yes, we are all quite aware of it as you have been talking about how much you like Kunzite all week long!" Ami replied as everyone giggled and Mina gave them all a small pout.

* * *

The girls walked through the arcade doors as they automatically opened for them. As Rei took a few steps into the building, she instantly froze in her spot. She felt the hairs on the back on her neck stand on end as an unknowing shiver ran through her body. She could sense some evil presence near her. A dark, ominous being that made her feel very uncomfortable at the moment. She could not pinpoint the location of her uneasiness, so she quickly glanced around the large room in hopes of finding it.

Her eyes eventually landed on a tall blonde with dark green eyes… Andrew. His eyes were slightly narrowed and he had smirk across his face. She was shaken from her gaze as Mina tugged on her wrist, "What's wrong Rei?"

"I don't know," She looked back towards Andrew to find him smiling towards everyone, "it just felt as if something was not right. I felt a dark aura very close by, but I'm not sure what it was."

Mina shrugged her shoulders and looked around the room, as she had not felt anything dangerous. She mentally noted in her head that she would have to talk to Rei and have her thoroughly explain what she felt just as a safety precaution.

Mina pulled Rei along to catch up with everyone else who were all ready sitting at a table. She greeted the guys with a genuine smile and took a seat next to Kunzite. After everyone had finished their little initial conversations, she soon excused herself to go and talk to Andrew.

"Hey Andrew!" Mina greeted as she leaned on the counter near him.

"Hi, um…" he paused as if he was trying to remember something, like as if he forgot her name, "Mina."

She raised an eyebrow towards him at his hesitance towards saying her name. She also noticed the slightly distant look that he held within his eyes. Like as if he had a thin layer of fog covering over a secret that he was trying to keep hidden behind his eyes. She shrugged her shoulders and brushed off her uncertainty as she remembered Lita previously telling them about Andrew's little incident of bumping his head.

"C'mon Andrew, pay up, 20 tokens just like you promised!" she held out her hand awaiting her desired coins that he had previously promised to give to her the next time she came to the arcade.

Andrew raised his eyebrows before tentatively reaching into a cupboard behind the counter and giving her the amount of coins that she had asked for.

"Thanks Andrew, you're too kind," she dropped the coins into her purse as she happily made her way back towards her friends.

She remained standing behind her empty seat and tapped Kunzite on the shoulder. He turned his attention towards her waiting for her to speak first, "Kunzite are you any good at car racing games?" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she awaited his reply.

"Yea, but I'm not that-"

"Great!" she interrupted as she gave him a wide grin, "you can come and play a few games with me, please? My treat!"

She didn't really give him enough time to supply her with an answer, because she began pulling him out of his seat towards the racecar games. Even if she did let him answer, it's not like he would turn down her offer, especially when she was looking at him with such innocent blue eyes. Eyes that were pleading him to say yes, just like how a child would look when pleading to their mother to buy them some candy.

He let her freely guide him through the arcade as he gently shook her hand off of his wrist and softly grasped her small hand while interlacing their fingers. He slightly blushed at his own boldness and then took a secret glance towards the blonde beauty beside him and saw a faint blush spread across her face.

Ami giggled at Mina's tactics, "And to think that she's actually eighteen years old, yet still acts like a little kid dragging off one of her friends to go and play videogames." She admired Mina's confidence when it came to any issue concerning guys. Mina was so straightforward and outspoken when compared to herself.

She looked away from the couple as they walked out of sight. She turned her head back and was caught in Zoicite's warm gaze. Her first reaction to his blatant stare was to turn away and hide her embarrassment but she gathered her confidence and was able to meet his emerald stare with one of her own.

His emerald eyes held so much depth that for a split second she lost all conscious thought of her surroundings and was lost in the intensity of his eyes. She saw his eyes soften and the curves around his mouth slightly shifted upwards as he let out a small chuckle, "So tell me Ami, are you any good at a particular videogame?"

His voice had echoed in her ear. The soft, velvet sound of his voice, which seemed to resonate throughout her mind and send tendrils of excitement to the ends of her body. Such a thing was not familiar to her when hearing the sound of a man's voice. The thought of his voice creating excitement in her was ridiculous and made her nervous about what other emotion he could cause in her.

She pulled her hands closer to her and folded them in her lap, "Well, I'm pretty good at a few games."

"Oh stop being so modest, Ami," Rei leaned towards Zoicite from across the table as if telling him a deep, dark secret, "Don't listen to her Zoicite, she's just being humble. Truth is, she has reflexes like no other and holds the highest score on one of those gun shooting games."

"Rei!" Ami gasped out as she sat up straight staring at Rei with wide eyes. Rei returned her gesture with a teasing smile.

"Highest score, huh?" Zoicite said while rubbing his fingertips against his chin as if contemplating his next move, "I adore your humbleness Ami, but I'm going to have to challenge you for that high score to see if you really deserve it. That is, if you don't mind acting like a kid for a little bit, while dragging your friend off to play a videogame?"

He stood up from his seat while extending his hand out to her, waiting to see if she would accept his offer.

Ami softly laughed while placing her hand in his, "Well, I guess I'll have to accept your challenge." She led him through the arcade towards her specific "high score" game while he followed courteously by her side.

"He looks like he's genuinely interested in her," Lita mused.

"That's because he is," commented Nephrite with a smirk, "He will not admit it, but he has been secretly awaiting this day all week long." The girls laughed.

"Well, unlike Zoicite, I freely admitted all week long about looking forward to seeing Rei today," Jedite placed his arm on the back of Rei's seat as if he had done it a million times before. Rei rolled her eyes and made no attempt to remove his arm, as he would just place his arm back to where it had been before she moved it.

Nephrite looked towards Rei with a glint in his eye, "Yes, he was so excited to see you again, that he even called me this morning to ask advice on what he should wear that might impress you."

Rei, along with everyone else at the table, laughed as Jedite stiffened and lowered his head in embarrassment. Rei saw how humiliated Jedite looked and thought that she should attempt to fix it. She leaned close enough to him so that she could whisper in his ear. She could feel his breath upon her neck as he took in shallow breaths waiting for her to say something. His warm breath tickled her neck and she inwardly smiled at his nervousness. "If it helps at all, I do like your shirt," she said as she tugged on the edge of his crisp, navy-blue shirt.

Rei took her leave from the table and headed towards the front counter and took a seat on one of the many stools. She glanced back and watched as Jedite recovered from his stupor and made his way towards her.

She turned her attention towards Mina's cries of joy several feet away. Obviously, it looked like Mina was winning the driving race because Kunzite had his face set on determination and she could faintly hear him quietly cursing to himself.

She heard Jedite's voice behind her and turned back to face him, "See, I knew that you had to be somewhat attracted to me."

"I said that I only liked your shirt, it didn't mean that I was attracted to you," Rei scoffed.

All of a sudden, it seemed like a cold chill surrounded her and Jedite's voice seemed to drone out and become incoherent. It had felt like a dark aura was slowly consuming her very being. The very air she breathed became thick and was becoming harder and harder for her to breath. Her eyes frantically looked around to see if anybody else were affected the same way that she was, but there was none. She concluded that it was perhaps her spiritual abilities that enabled her to sense something menacing residing in the arcade.

Her eyes had then landed on Andrew. He was happily serving the other customers who were residing at the counter. Her every instinct was telling her that Andrew was the source of her uneasiness, but she had never sensed something like this from him before. Her mind was denying the fact that Andrew could be causing her all of this apprehension; she had considered him to be one of her close friends.

She froze as Andrew glanced towards her and gave her a big grin. At that moment, she felt nothing. No fear or uneasiness. It all seemed to disappear and she wasn't able to sense anything that would be threatening.

She continued to gawk at Andrew until she was slightly shaken by the shoulders. "I'm hurt that you are deliberately looking at that employee over there while I'm over here trying to talk to you," Jedite said with a pout.

A female's shouts interrupted Rei before she could give him an answer.

Serena turned her attention to a certain blonde from across the room. She could clearly hear her friend complaining about her defeat against Kunzite as she stomped over to where Rei sat. She watched, as Kunzite was not that far behind her with a satisfied grin upon his face. He had walked up behind her once she had seated and placed his hand upon her shoulder. He had offered to buy her a sundae to repay her for her lost to him and she of course, willingly accepted.

Serena laughed at Mina's childish nature, while Lita and Nephrite decided to go join them.

"You know, it's practically a miracle to see how fast Kunzite is warming up to Mina," Darien said, "Kunzite always seems to put out a cold, kind of stoic persona and I think Mina's warm personality is just what he needs."

Serena nodded her head in agreement with Darien. She also thought those two seemed to be quite compatible with each other. She looked through Darien's jet-black hair, which hung over his face in an irresistible way, and into his cobalt eyes and wondered if the two of them would be compatible together. She wasn't quite certain if he was attracted or interested in her as much as she was into him. The thought that he wouldn't like her saddened her.

She lowered her eyes away from his face to try and hide her emotions. Unexpectedly, she felt warm flesh graze her cheek as she looked up and saw Darien's hand push a strand of her hair back that had fallen out of place. His fingers lingered upon her face for a few more moments as if trying to take some of her warmth with them.

"Serena, do you mind if we get out of here and go see a movie or something?" Darien asked while motioning his head towards the door.

Serena quickly glanced at her friends then turned her attention back towards Darien, "I'd love too!"

* * *

Darien pulled up into Serena's driveway and parked his car. They had spent the entire afternoon together. He took her to go see a movie together and then had gone to get a little something to eat afterwards. He loved being in her company. She was such a happy person that it was hard not to also become happy when near her. Every time she seemed to talk or laugh it felt as if he was being drawn closer and closer to her.

He walked her to her front door and she stopped and turned around to face him, "Thank you for taking me to the movies and buying me something to eat. I had a really great time with you today!"

He looked down at her petite form and gave her an affectionate smile while leaning down and giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. As soon as he pulled away from her cheek, a slicing pain ripped through his mind. He stumbled back a step while raising his hand over his forehead and squinting his eyes shut.

"What's wrong Darien?" Serena asked worriedly.

"It's just a headache that came on really fast. Nothing a little Tylenol can't cure," he said while opening his eyes, as the pain seemed to weaken.

He watched as Serena removed his hand from his head and positioned both of her hands delicately on the sides of his head while gently pulling his head down to her height as she placed a chaste kiss upon his forehead, "I hope that your headache goes away soon." With that done, she turned around while unlocking her door and he watched as she gave him one last smile before she shut the door.

* * *

Darien entered his apartment and dropped all of his belongings on the floor while he made his way into the bathroom. Unfortunately, his headache had gotten worse after he left Serena's house. He opened his mirror cabinet and quickly grabbed some Tylenol.

He washed down the pills with some tap water from the sink and the made his way towards his bedroom. He suddenly felt exhausted from all the pain going through his head that he didn't even bother to change his clothes or kick off his shoes as he laid down on his bed and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, should I even try to apologize for taking so long to update? I'm sorry, I'm so VERY SORRY! It seems that I got a bit too lazy these past few months and neglected my story, but all is well now! Anyways, I apologize for all the grammatical errors and whatnot in this chapter, but I hope that you enjoyed reading it! Please, if you have anything to say, whether it be a comment, question, constructed criticism or anything else, don't hesitate to tell me in a review or email!**

**Oh yeah, HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE! I hope that everything goes well for you guys throughout the year!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon**

**--Shortie**

**1/1/06**


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